Women In Wellness

Melissa Kolbeck wears many hats – “badass ballerina”, group exercise instructor and mom. She’s the founder of Ballet Body Bootcamp and other home fitness programs. You can find her blogging about life, weekly meal plans and fitness at MelissaKolbeck.com.

Q1. What is the #1 wellness practice you live by? That thing that you do every day without fail because it revs you up from the inside out. I work out every day without fail. Even if I don’t feel like it, I’ll do something active. I also drink a protein shake made with Shakeology everyday.

Q2. The premise of the blog is that wherever you are in life, is exactly where you need to be. How did you get to where you are today? Whew that’s a big question! I began my partnership with the makers of P90X and Insanity a little over 3 years ago, but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered my true purpose to uplift and empower women to be healthy, strong, and just a little bit badass. We women are very hard on ourselves to do everything right and we take care of everyone else before ourselves. My mission and purpose is to give women the tools they need to properly care for themselves and feel like they can conquer the world (aka feel badass). Through the struggles my family has faced financially, I’ve learned how to have courage and strength when times are tough, and I help other women do the same.

Q3. What was your biggest transformation along the way? My biggest transformation has not been a physical one, but more of a mental and emotional one. As I mentioned before, my family was struggling financially as my husband was looking for a new job and I was laid off from my job. However, all of these things have been blessings in disguise. Learning how to live with less is huge and showed me that I both wanted and needed to give back. I also have learned how to embrace my love of ballet alongside my love of fitness by creating Ballet Body Bootcamp. As a result of all this, starting in July, 10% of my net business income will be donated to an organization to promote the arts to children. As of right now, I’m still deciding on exactly which organization that will be.

Q4. If you could only own five items, what would they be? My iPhone 6s Plus, my computer, the chargers for both of those, and an endless supply of coffee (can I do that?). Haha!

Q5.What is the theme song for your life right now and why? “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood. Not because I’m actually driving, of course, but because I am always reminding myself to keep Jesus first and let Him do His thing. My way sucks, but His way is always right and I have to always trust Him to lead me in the right direction.

Fellow IIN grad Elizabeth Stein has a personality so sweet it’s no irony she created a line of baking mixes. But they’re not like the other baking mixes. purely elizabeth baking mixes are are all-natural, vegan, made with high quality ingredients and free of gluten and refined sugar. And the ancient grain granola is so […]

Every morning I comb the wellness blogs and web sites in search of health and happiness tidbits for the day. I always land at The Well Daily, one of my favorite sources for the latest on wellness trends and information. It’s like my daily dose of health and happiness all in one site. In a […]

I was first acquainted with Kate Northrup two years ago when I saw her speak on a panel. The discussion had turned to spirituality and I remember her confessing that she had decided that checking her email every morning immediately upon waking is a spiritual practice. I chuckled to myself because I, too, fight the […]

After almost 10 years on birth control pills and a serious health scare, I knew the day I stopped taking them I was doing what was right for my body. Suddenly, synthetic hormones didn’t feel like the right choice to me, so I researched more natural means of birth control and chose another method. While […]

Chef Ann Cooper is a woman after my own heart because she is on the front lines making progress in an area of wellness I am so passionate about. The Renegade Lunch Lady is voting with her very own knife to change the way we feed our children in schools. Need I say more? Q1. […]

When I first heard of Lissa Rankin‘s virtual integrative medicine resource, Owning Pink, I was immediately drawn to the name because clearly, I’m owning my own pink. But more than that, I have long believed that there is a place in traditional medicine for what we in the field of holistic nutrition practice and preach. […]

If you don’t know this woman already, you’re going to want to. Wise, empowered and luminous, Terri Cole is inspiring men and women everywhere to live fearless and free. She is well-known for her signature question that has become one of my own favorite mantras: “If Not You…Who?” “If Not Now…When?” Q1. What is the […]

When I first met Gabrielle Bernstein in 2008, she was speaking about happiness at the New York Junior League. At the time, I had a lot of drama in my life and never considered I could be a happy person. I was going through the motions. I thought to myself then that Gabby was the […]

About Me …

Welcome! My name is Marissa and I'm a lover of all things health and wellness. As a NYC-based board-Certified Wellness Coach and Healthy Living Expert, I share my own health secrets, get-fit tips and the cooking expertise that has inspired countless women to change their relationship with food and turbocharge their health to become holistically hot in a way that’s fun and fearless.

No crazy diets or all-juice cleanses required.

Take comfort in knowing that wherever you are right now, is exactly "where you need to be"!